The Effects of Early Onset Tranquilizers, Sedatives, and Sleeping Pills Use on Recent Consumption Among Adolescents

Adolescents' consumption of tranquilizers, sedatives, and sleeping pills (TSSp) has increased during the last few decades, and TSSp are currently among the substances with the lowest age-of-onset. We characterized current-use patterns of TSSp consumers by age when first taken.

This study used individualized secondary data retrieved from the 2016 Spanish State Survey on Drug Use in Secondary Education (16-18-year-olds), and included all subjects who reported having taken TSSp at any point, but excluded those who had started during the previous year (n = 1502). Logistic regression models were used to obtain adjusted odds ratios (aOR) for associations between early TSSp consumption (<14 years) and current TSSp use patterns, adjusted for sociodemographic factors.

About 17.9% of respondents had taken TSSp (average age-of-onset = 13.7) and 45% of these without a prescription. TSSp consumption at <14 years was higher for males and nonrepeaters. Having begun to use TSSp < 14 years was associated with both higher probability of consumption in the last month (aOR = 1.41; 95%CI:1.12-1.77) and daily/almost daily consumption in the last month (aOR = 1.56; 95CI%:1.16-2.08).

The results of this study show there is a high proportion of 16 to 18 TSSp student consumers - both prescribed and nonprescribed; it also establishes that early onset-of-use is associated with higher levels of intensive use later on.